NEW YORK, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gift of Life Marrow Registry, in collaboration with Labcorp, a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, and DOUBLEMINT®, proudly part of Mars, celebrated the successful launch of its new Hero Gum campaign at Citi Field on August 1 during the New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants game.
The in-stadium activation marked the first large-scale public rollout of the first-of-its-kind donor registration kit, giving Mets fans a hands-on way to join the stem cell and marrow registry simply by chewing gum. By turning a familiar, everyday treat into a meaningful act, Hero Gum offers a powerful new way to find lifesaving matches for patients battling leukemia, lymphoma and other serious illnesses.
The activation also underscored a long-standing partnership between Gift of Life and the Mets, who have worked together since 2004 to advance the mission of curing blood cancer. Citi Field served as the ideal venue to engage a broad and diverse audience in a cause that touches lives across communities.
During the game, attendees were welcomed at the Gift of Life booth, where staff provided information and guided fans through the easy donor registration process. An engaging animated video on the Jumbotron further highlighted the urgent need to grow and diversify the registry, inspiring the crowd to take action, as only 30% of patients find a match within their families. The remaining 70% rely on strangers through donor registries.
“Bringing Hero Gum to Citi Field gave us an incredible platform to connect with thousands of fans in a fun and meaningful way,” said Marti Freund, Gift of Life Marrow Registry Chief Operating Officer. “This kind of visibility is invaluable in sparking conversations, building awareness and inspiring people to take that first step toward saving a life.”
Hero Gum also reflects Gift of Life’s ongoing commitment to innovation in donor engagement. Since introducing cheek swabs in 2001 as a simpler alternative to blood draws, the organization has continued to find creative ways to make the registration process easier and more accessible for young donors. Hero Gum represents the next evolution in that effort.
About the Hero Gum Campaign
By chewing a piece of gum for just five minutes, individuals can provide a viable sample for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing and join the marrow registry — the first step toward potentially saving a life. Developed in partnership with creative agency adam&eveDDB New York, with the animated film by Unsaid Studio, the initiative is designed to remove barriers to registration and engage younger, more diverse audiences. Hero Gum reframes the donor sign-up process as quick, accessible and even fun.
Safe, non-invasive, and convenient, Hero Gum kits are designed for distribution at high-traffic events, college campuses and community centers across the U.S. In addition to the stadium activation, Hero Gum is now available online at www.giftoflife.org/herogum.
About Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. The registry houses its own state-of-the-art stem cell collection center, biobank, and laboratory. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org.
Media contact: Amy Glanzman
Phone: (561) 982-2903; Email: aglanzman@giftoflife.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/98d8e7c3-75ba-4140-b425-7a122efd88f1
